The Italy squad sees Sergio Parisse back on board. With players like Alessandro Zanni, Leonardo Ghiraldini and others, the Tests would see Sergio is coming back to play as the country team is being spruced up for the Tests in November. There are upcoming Test matches to be played against Tonga, South Africa and New Zealand.

Zanni had been a back row forward player and Leonardo a hooker among the group of veteran players being called back for the game. Conor O’Shea is the coach as well as captain of the team who is currently looking into the team composition. The trios of players, who have been called back, make up about one point short of 300 caps. Continue reading →

McCaw is the face of Christchurch even after retiring from professional rugby.

You can see him featured on the posters on the streets on which his movie “Chasing Great” is advertised. You can also find his face in the book stores that sells his latest book “148” that gives insights into all the matches that McCaw played for the popular New Zealand team. The book is one of the best sellers. That’s not all. You will find this Christchurch man’s huge hoardings outside the Christchurch airport, which carries an advertisement spend a full day with him in his Eurocopter AS350.

Richie McCaw is a very busy man after retiring from the All Blacks team. Even though he has hung up his boots and quit rugby, it looks like his life has certainly not slowed down. He is still one of the most recognizable faces in New Zealand. He is enjoying life to the fullest and doing what all he could not do when he was playing professional rugby for 15 years. He has achieved everything in his long career with the All Blacks by winning two World Cups and also bagging the title of the World Rugby Player of the Year Award thrice. Continue reading →

Behind many great men are motivational forces that come into play. For instance, the head coach of Toulon, the French giant’s team, revealed that his decision to join this team was partly because Jonny Wilkinson convinced him to do the same. As a result of his decision Mike Ford has joined the team as the back coach for the French giant’s team in Toulon.

The new decision comes on as Ford has been on the lookout for a new assignment. He was sacked by Bath about four months back as the last year campaign turned out to be disappointing for this team. Continue reading →

Jonny Wilkinson is a former star of English rugby; he states that, after retirement, he has found balance which has made his life healthier and happier. He states that previously his life had been miserable when he was trying to be perfect. After he retired from playing rugby at the international level this star of the former England rugby team, states that, he has sought ways to find a balance in his life to be healthy and happy at the same time.

He states that he used to put pressure on himself to be perfect which often made him miserable. His career has been an incredible one as a fly half at international levels. As his active playing days are behind him, he states that he was only relaxed and happy when he was playing a match. Jonny is widely acknowledged as a rugby union player with the finest skills. He started playing for his country at the age of 18. Continue reading →

There is a lot of fanfare that follows Richie wherever he goes. That is understandable as the captain of a legendary superpower rugby team is sure to command such an effect. Steve Hansen had a large duty at hand when he had to handle several retirements at one go. The most difficult one is to find a replacement for Richie McCaw. The captain of the All Blacks team is a position that is difficult to fill, especially when the role had been successfully carried out by Richie who has gained considerable fame for his skills and leadership on the field. McCaw has been with the team for 14 years, a feat that is rare when transfers are common and players look out for their careers individually than stay committed to a team. He was captain for the team for ten seasons. He even won Player of the Year award in World Rugby three times. He has been instrumental for the victories that All Blacks team has sustained in the world Rugby Cup tournaments.Continue reading →

The new coach of the Italian national rugby side, Conor O’Shea, is of the opinion that Sergio Parisse led Italy can turn out to be a major force in the rugby circuit. The current crop of Italian players is well led by their captain Sergio Parisse and they are now considered to be the best side ever to represent Italy in rugby. They have had impressive tours of Canada and Argentina lately and playing more and more games will help the team to improve.

O’Shea took up the coaching of the Italian national team from Jacques Brunel after the RBS 6 Nations this year, has had decent success with the team. His team suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Argentina and then went on to beat Canada 20-18. O’Shea was happy with the kind of rugby that his boys exhibited during the mini-summer tours to Canada and Argentina and he felt that it was more than what he had expected. The players are in better shape and they do not seem to have the ill effects of losing all their games at the 2016 RBS 6 Nations. Continue reading →

Richie McCaw has been impressed by Bundee Aki’s performance and has invited him to come home and work for the home team.

Ma’a Nonu as well as Conrad Smith retired from what was considered a legendary partnership in the midfield position. Another legendary player is Bundee Aki, who plays for Connacht. Aki has been part of the historic rise that Connacht has witnessed over time. He has showcased his prowess as well as power and being able to interpret the game well. This season he has helped his team excel in their performance. As a result, it is being thought that Connacht will be able to overpower the Glasgow Warriors. Continue reading →